Long Range Plan to guide park system growth

The Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) is embarking upon a long-range planning effort to guide the development and growth of Austin’s park system. PARD’s Long Range Plan for Land, Facilities and Programs (LRP) is developed every 10 years and provides a blueprint to guide land acquisition, capital improvements, and the development of programs and new amenities. The theme of this Long Range Plan will be Our Parks, Our Future 2018-2028. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department will reach its centennial in 2028 and the planning effort will focus efforts on the vision for Austin’s Park System in 2028. Our Parks, Our Future 2018-2028 is funded in part through contributions from the Austin Parks Foundation.

WRT, a nationally recognized planning and design firm, will lead the planning effort in partnership with the PARD Park Planning Division. WRT led park system plans for cities such as Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Arlington, VA. A multi-disciplinary firm of planners, urban designers, architects, and landscape architects, WRT also spearheaded Austin’s comprehensive, Imagine Austin, as well as the award-winning Pease Park Master Plan, which was adopted by City Council in 2014.

The planning team comprises Austin-based firms including Studio Balcones, a landscape architecture firm, as well as Adisa Communications and GO Collaborative focusing on public engagement. Additionally, the team includes Pros Consulting, a team of park professionals with expertise with management, planning, and financing. The Trust for Public Land’s Center for City Park Excellence will benchmark Austin’s park and recreation system against peer and/or aspirational cities. The planning effort will also include a statistically-valid survey conducted by the ETC Institute.

Public engagement will begin in late fall, 2018, and participants are encouraged to sign up to receive information about the planning process and upcoming events by visiting the webpage at www.austintexas.gov/austinfutureparks .

About this blog

In the Parks connects Austinites to the places they love. From youth programming to Austin’s premier public spaces such as Zilker Park and Barton Springs pool, In the Parks shares the stories that define our quality recreational, cultural, and outdoor experiences for the Austin community. Join us as we explore what makes Austin’s park system one of the best in the world.